Sealed receptacle



Apri1 5, l938. 1 E. H. FABRICE 2,113,176

SEALED RECEPTACLE Filed March 26, 19:56 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 5, 1938. E. H. FABRICE' 2,113,176

SEALED RECEPTACLE Filed March 26, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ewry ,1 Edi-1&8

Patented Apr. 5, 1938 UNITED STATES SEALED RECEPTACLE Edward H. Fabrice, Chicago, Ill.,' assignor to Guardian Safety Seal Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application March 26, 1936, Serial No. 70,958,.

3 Claims.

The present invention includes a special type of bottle and a bottle sealing cap adapted for cooperation with a certain formation of the bottle to seal the latter, it being understood, of

course, that a bottle, as shown, is exemplary of a receptacle and that the invention is not confined exclusively to bottles, but includes all types of receptacles for which it is adapted.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a bottle, or the like, having a threaded neck and which is equipped immediately below the threads of the neck with a protruding substantially geometrical formation of non-cylindrical type, which is adapted to cooperate with a portion of a sealing cap for the bottle to hold the sealing cap against rotation. Included within the scope of the invention is a special type of cap adapted for sealing the particular type of bottle above described.

20 The main object of the invention as regards the bottle sealing cap, is to provide a cap of the severable type which is composed of a resilient sheet metal, such as aluminum, aluminum alloy, tin plate, terne plate and the like, as distinguished from foil, and which is capable of being made of very short length so that the greatest economy in the cost of the metal may be effected without, however, removing from the structure of any of the advantages incident to the particular type of sealing cap to which the invention relates.

The sealing cap to which the invention relates is that which must be severed at, at least, one point in order to effect its release from the bottle. In commercial practice at the present time, sealing caps of the type to which the invention relates are equipped with annular removable strips of metal usually termed tear-out strips, by means of which the caps are severed into two parts, the crown portion of the cap above the line of severance usually constituting a removable and replaceable screw cap, while the lower end portion of said cap either remains mounted upon the bottle or is removed together with or following the removal of the tear-out strip.

It has also been proposed to provide sealing caps of the type specified, wherein the tear-out strip is omitted and wherein the crown and base portions of the cap are connected with each other by very fragile connections which are capable of being severed by forcible manual rotation of the crown portion relatively to the base portion of the cap. This type of cap, however, has not been very successful when manufactured of resilient metal, as distinguished from foil, and 66 it is the purpose of the present invention to provide a sealing cap which possesses distinct ad-- vantages over the several commercial types above referred to.

Suitable embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

wherein: Y

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, partly in section, of a bottle sealing cap constructed in accordance with the invention, showing the same inthe condition in which it is first produced by primary. and secondary operations.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cap as it ap pears at the time of mounting the same upon a bottle neck of the type shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the upper endv portion of an ordinary bottle equipped with a threaded neck and a sealing-cap engaging formation immediately below the threads 01' the neck.

Fig 4 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 3 showing the sealing cap mounted upon the bottle neck in final position. I

Fig. 5 is a plan section of the cap through the slots disposed between the crown and base portions of the cap and looking upwardly. 25

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the cap shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 6a is a fragmentary detail vertical sectional view showing a weakened connection between the two parts of the sealing cap.

Fig. '7 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing another embodiment of the invention wherein the shape of the base portion of the cap differs from that shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the bottle neck equipped with a formation adapted to receive the base portion of the cap shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the cap of Fig. 7 upon the bottle neck of Fig. 8.

Figs. 10 and 11 are views similar to Figs. 5 and 6, but illustrating the type of cap shown in Fig. 7.

As illustrated in Fig. 3, the bottle neck I is equipped with thread formations 2 which terminate immediately at or above the upper surface of the formation 3 which, in the instance i1- lustrated, approaches the shape of a quadrangle having more or less arcuate walls and rounded corners 4, the latter protruding beyond the crowns of the thread formations 2. 50

The cap 5 comprises a normally cylindrical body portion closed at its upper end, and an initially cylindrical base portion 6. The latter is partly severed from the body portion of the cap by means of four slots .1 of equal length extending circumferentially of the cap and which are spaced from each other by means of narrow connecting members 8 which constitute the only connections between the base portion 6 and the body portion 5 of the cap.

The said slots 1 are disposed, preferably, in a substantial horizontal plane common to all of them.

After the cap has been produced as shown in Fig. l, the arcuate portions of the base portion thereof bordered by the several respective slots '1 are expanded and distorted to shape said base portion 6 to fit the formation 3 of the bottle neck as shown in Fig. 2. Said base portion 6 may be said to constitute a skeleton band of metal which is severable from the body of the cap and which is rendered severable in itself by means, preferably, of the ogee curved weakening formation 9 which extends from a free upper edge of said base portion 6 to the lower edge thereof, said weakening formation consisting in part of an incision l0 extending entirely through the metal of the base portion 6 and the remainder of which extends partly through said metal as by scoring the same. -Thus, the incision It may be said to border the upper edge portion of a free digitally .engageable tongue II which may be bent out wardly and, .by exerting pull thereon, will cause the band or base portion 6 to be severed along Y away from the body thereof by breakage of the connecting portions 8. To this end, said connecting portions 8 may be, weakened by scorings i2 similar to the weakening scoring 9 of the band or base portion 6.

It will be noted in Fig. 2 that the body of the cap is still cylindrical and is devoid of thread formations.

' After the cap has been completed, as shown in Fig. 2, it is placed upon the bottle neck and the formation 3 of the latter is telescopically received within and snugly fits the base portion or band 6 of the cap 5. The cap is thus held against rotation relatively to the bottle and while pressed down firmly upon the rim of the bottle neck into sealing position, the thread formations 2 of the bottle neck are used as a mandrel upon which thread formations !3 of the bottle cap are formed.

This may be done in any one of several well known ways, as for example, by means of dies that press the metal into the roots of the threads 2 of the bottle neck.

The bottle is now sealed and obviously, the crown portion of the cap cannot be removed from the bottle neck without first either severing the base portion or. band 6 or disconnecting the entire crown portion of the cap from the base portion or band 6 thereof.

If the band 8 be first severed along the said score line 9, then a continued outward pull on the 8 may be so weakened as to permit the crown portion of the cap to break away entirely from the base portion or band 6 thereof by merely effecting a forced rotation of the said crown portion in the direction necessary to unseal the bottle. crown portion from the said base portion or band In that event, after severance of said 6, the latter may be easily removed from the bottle without effecting severance thereof along the score line 9.

The cap and bottle shown in Figs. '7 to 11 inclusive, differs from the structure shown in Figs. 1 5 to 6 inclusive, only in that instead of having four protruding corner formations to be received within the base portion of the cap, the bottle is equipped with only two diametrically opposed formations l4 presenting rounded corners. This 14) bottle neck is equipped with thread formations above the said formation 14 and the cap is provided with a base portion l5 corresponding in shape and general construction with the band 6 of the structure of Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, but is connected with the body portion iii of the cap by only two diametrically opposed connecting members I! each of which is located substantially ninety degrees from the extremities of the formations 14. The structure of Figs. 7 to 11 is merely an exemplary of a large number of modifications in the shape of the bottle neck formation which are adapted for cooperation with the base portion or detachable band at the base of the cap to prevent rotation of the crown portion of the cap rela- 2; 'tively to the bottle until severance of. saidcrown portion from said base portion has been effected or until the base portion or band of the cap has been severed and distorted to permit the rotation of the crown portion relatively to the bottle. :1

The cap of the present invention is advantageous in that it is easily manufactured and because of its short length relatively to its diameter, it can be made of thinner sheet metal than the longer or deeper caps. Further the cap of the present invention can be made of acheaper metal than the aluminum alloy generally used for the manufacture of severable caps, this being due to rendering the band or base portion of the cap severable from its upper to its lower edge by 40 leaving only a very thin weakening scoring. .9 to maintain it initially intact.

In practice it has been found that the only necessity for preventing rotation of the sealing cap relatively to the bottle neck lies in the fact 45 that such sealing caps are apt to loosen by vibration in transit or by careless handling. Accordingly the means for preventing rotation of the cap relatively to the bottle until the bottle reaches the hands of the consumer, may be very fragile. so

It is pointed out particularly that, as distinguished from foil caps, which are capable of being pressed into ultimate shape after being mounted upon the bottle by means of rubber dies, that the cap of the present invention must be preformed throughout except as to the final thread formations of the cap. Also that the metal of which the cap is composed must be of a type which is not pliable, so as to be easily manipulable digitally or which is so soft thatttn it may be out easily with a knife.

Foil caps of the severable type that are pressed upon bottle necks equipped with threads and with projections to engage the skirt portions of the caps, are necessarily made initially large 'lti enough to receive all of said formations and, when reshaped by means of rubber dies or otherwise, become wrinkled longitudinally and presentan undesirable appearance. As this type of cap is intended to safeguard the consumer against dilu-l7o tion or substitution of the bottle contents between the time that the bottle leaves the bottlingplant and reaches the consumer, it fails of its purpose for the reason that the wrinkles. referred to afford means for cutting by a knife the skirtportionwii along or within the wrinkles and the pliable nature of the metal is such that the portion of the cap skirt that must be disengaged from projections of the bottle neck to permit removal of the cap, may then be bent out of engagement with said formations and, after removal and replacement of the cap, are easily restored to their initial positions so exactly as to defy detection except by very careful inspection. Foil caps, therefore do not afford reliable safety seals for protection of consumers.

It will be understood, of course, that the slots 1 may be of any desired shape other than that shown herein, or they may be mere severance slits;

I claim as my invention:

1. A receptacle sealing cap composed of relatively hard sheet metal, such as aluminum, comprising a substantially cylindrical sheet metal member closed at one end and equipped at its other end with a pre-formed symmetrical, noncylindrical terminal skirt portion integral with the body of the cap and partly severed therefrom by means of a plurality of slots between the ends of the cap, the portions of said terminal skirt portion severed from the body of the cap, being distorted and affording a band of metal for telescopic engagement with a similarly shaped formation of a receptacle adapted to be sealed by said cap, whereby to render said cap non-rotatable relatively to the receptacle.

2. A receptacle sealing cap composed of relatively hard sheet metal, such as aluminum, comprising a substantially cylindrical sheet metal member closed at one end and equipped at its other end with pre-formed symmetrical noncylindrical terminal skirt portion integral with the body of the cap and partly severed therefrom by means of a plurality of slots between the ends of the cap, the portions of said terminal skirt portion severed from the body of the cap being expanded and distorted to project outwardly from the body of the cap and affording a band of metal for telescopic engagement with a similarly shaped formation of a receptacle adapted to be sealed by the cap, the unbroken portions of said cap alternating with said slots being readily severable from said terminal skirt portion by manual rotation of the body of the cap relatively to the said terminal skirt portion thereof, to render said cap non-rotatable relatively to the receptacle.

3. A receptacle sealing cap comprising a substantially cylindrical body portion closed at one end and provided adjacent its other end with a plurality of slots extending arcuately of the said cap, whereby the open terminal end portion of the cap is partly severed from the body portion thereof, said terminal end portion being distorted along at least one of the said slots to project outwardly from the body portion of the cap and provide a pre-formed non-cylindrical band for telescopic engagement with a similarly shaped formation of the receptacle adapted to be sealed by said cap and cooperating with said last-named formation to hold the cap and receptacle against relative rotation.

EDWARD H. FABRICE. 

